Pakistan Travel Stories (Part 2)

Shoe Obsession 

From all the things in the world that I love to buy, shoes are my absolute favourite! I have this annoying habit of randomly walking into shoe shops and trying on different shoes; sometimes even without any intention of buying them! Annoying for hubby though, I love doing it! So, during my trip to Pakistan, I was naturally on a hunt for good shoes - something unique and different that you don't get easily in other parts of the world; especially Malaysia, part of the world I live in. Luckily in Pakistan, hunt for shoes with a traditional touch in not very difficult. We have some of our very own designs that are easily available and are not very heavy on the pocket too! What can be better than that? 

So, a shoe shopping binge was impossible! But, it was not thoughtless really and I got my self some really comfortable shoes that equally complement both traditional or contemporary look. An ideal kind of thing for me as I wear both eastern and western attire. 

In this post, I will give an introduction of my favourite type of traditional Pakistani shoes including the stuff that I got for myself! I will leave some links of  online shops and sites that you can browse through at the end. Happy reading! 

Khussa or Saleem Shahi

Khussa or Saleem Shahi is a handcrafted footwear made of leather. It can be plain (my favourite) or with embroidery and other embellishments. The origin of this type of shoe can be traced back to the Mughal era. Thus, it is popular in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Khussa topped my list of things to buy. They come in colourful designs and go well with both eastern and western clothing. It is very interesting that a pair of new khussa doesn’t have a left or right shoe; it acquires the shape with passage of time. Otherwise, you can wear any shoe in any foot! 

I got for myself a plain red Khussa. I totally regret not buying all the colours in this plain range. I don't know how I ignored that little voice inside my head! They were available in bright yellow, green and blue colour. I bought these at Liberty Market, Lahore at super cheap price. 

This is the most basic style of Khussa. Khussas can be very colourful and sometimes very glittery too with extensive and intricate work and velvet base and what not. 

Nowadays, I am in love with these hand painted Khussas that I have seen in some photographs on Instagram! Cant wait to get my hands on them.... or rather.....  my feet in them! 

Image taken from online Shop here. Designed by Jooti Shooti 

Peshawari Chappal 
(chappal means slipper/sandal in Urdu)

The infamous Paul Smith's Robert Sandal
(Image Taken from Paul Smith Official Website)

When you talk about traditional Pakistani shoes, you cannot miss the Peshawari chappal. Worn by the Pashtuns (an ethnic group) in Pakistan, Peshawari chappals, have recently caught attention of designers. Not just local designers who are trying different styling techniques on the basic style but these sandals reached a whole new level of international fame when the British designer, Paul Smith, made a similar shoe called Robert Sandal in 2014 without giving due credit to actual creators of this design. After many signed petitions, Paul Smith had to change it to "inspired by Peshawari Chappal” on their official website. 

Read about it  here. 

Peshawari chappals are basically for men and they are nowadays really sought after as some celebrities wore them recently and they are back in vogue. 
You can see more varieties for men here.

But, I love the fact that designers  have started to make these for women as well! I found these really cute hand painted Peshawari chappals in Karachi that I bought without a second thought. I plan to wear them with my plain black jump suit. Can you think of any other way to style them? I would love to know! 

Hand Painted Peshawari Chappal

Kolhapuri Chappals

Originating from India, traditional Kolhapuri chappals used to come in tan brown colour with intricate woven designs. But with time, these chappals have been modified and stylized in different ways. Embellished with laces, beads, pearls, stones and pom poms, they come in different colours and are a must in every shoe lover’s collection.  You can wear it with a traditional Pakistani or Indian dress or just wear it with a pair of jeans, skirts or shorts. Super casual, they add colour and a uniqueness to any look. 

Embroidered Kolhapuri

A plain dull gold kolhapuri that is a must have! 

Paired them with denim Palazzo 

A Lucky Find 

By pure luck, I found this shop in Centaurus (a mall in Islamabad) called Mochari and fell in love with the hand crafted shoes that are a perfect blend of culture, style and craft. I loved every shoe that I saw in the shop. Hubby joined in with the little voice and agreed that I should get a few pairs. The work on these sandals is really neat and the quality is great! I got a pair of these beautiful green embroidered sandals that are super comfortable too. 

I have worn them with long skirts and jeans and they just take all the attention. 

My shoe rack is now very colourful and I have plenty of options to choose from. If you want to add these to your shoe collection, I am leaving below all the links of shops I bought these shoes from and some more too that I could not visit but you should check them out. Also, I am adding links to online shops where you can order these great designs from any part of the world! 

Facebook Here Mochari  & Instagram Here: Mochari

Facebook Here: Odd & Eve & Instagram Here: Odd & Eve

Facebook Here: Enigmas Creation & Instagram Here: Enigmas Creation

Facebook Here: Jooti Shooti  & Instagram Here: Jooti Shooti 

Website Here: Men's Peshawari Chappals

One of the best online shop to buy Pakistani Stuff is Turbooz

Website here & Instagram here

And you can also check different variety on this website

Do tell me which one you liked the best!

Happy Shopping!

Read the Part 1 of my Pakistan Travel Stories here. It is all about food!